Proposals to make special educational needs hub at West Boldon Primary School 'permanent’

South Tyneside Council’s cabinet of senior councillors, at a meeting this week, agreed to launch a statutory consultation to establish a permanent  ‘SEND additional resource base’ at West Boldon Primary School.

The school opened the temporary base in September, 2023, as part of efforts to increase South Tyneside’s special educational needs capacity ahead of the opening of a new special free school in the borough.

According to a report presented to cabinet this week, the provision at West Boldon Primary School has “become quickly established and provides a safe, stable and secure learning environment for the pupils who attend”.

It was noted that South Tyneside Council had also invested into the provision by providing “additional support and training” from the council’s “inclusion service and educational psychology team”.

A proposed special free school in the borough, which will offer SEMH places, was expected to open in September, 2025, however the opening date has been delayed.

As the new special free school is not due to open until September, 2027, and due to growing demand for placements for those with social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH), it was proposed to make the resource base at West Boldon Primary School permanent.

To make the proposal a reality, South Tyneside Council needs to go through a statutory process, including publishing a statutory notice and holding a consultation.

The notice outlines proposals to “establish a permanent 13-place special resource base for pupils with social emotional and mental health and communication and interaction difficulties”.

The notice states the “unit will be located within the main body of the school and will cater for pupils aged 5 to 11 years old”.

The statutory notice is expected to be published on October 7, 2024, and includes a four-week formal consultation.

This aims to “give the opportunity for all stakeholders to provide comments, recommendations or objections to the proposal”.

It is expected that a further report will return to cabinet at the end of November, 2024, to update senior councillors on the outcome.

Councillor Liz McHugh, cabinet member for children and families social care and education and skills, outlined the report to cabinet at a meeting on Wednesday, October 2.

“The numbers of children with SEMH needs is on the increase at primary as well as secondary level,” she said.

“Whilst the planned special free school will provide 56 places for primary age pupils when it opens in 2027, there is still a need for specialist places in mainstream primary schools”.

A report to cabinet said that if the West Boldon Primary School proposal does not progress, then pupils “are likely to have to be placed in more costly specialist or out-of-borough provision”.

Benefits of the scheme also included “providing local provision for local children in order that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities can be educated in their own communities”.

Councils have a duty to secure “sufficient appropriate education places” including provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

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South Tyneside currently has a range of provision for pupils with SEND, ranging from individual support in mainstream schools, to designated special schools, supporting pupils with a range of needs.

A recent council audit identified increased demand for social, emotional mental health places, which the permanent resource base at West Boldon Primary School aims to support.

The cabinet report adds: “The school is an inclusive school, and the special resource base will complement the school’s established specialism in supporting pupils with mental health/emotional wellbeing needs.

“The provision will give pupils who exhibit changing behaviours, communication and interaction needs and who have a need for a therapeutic multi-disciplinary intervention the opportunity to access mainstream provision with the specialist support they need”.

Cllr McHugh added: “Following the consultation it is proposed to bring a further report to cabinet on November 27, 2024.

“This will provide the outcome of the consultation and will ask cabinet whether it agrees to establish provision at West Boldon on a permanent basis.”